Animal health products are in great demand. Antibiotics continue to be an important type of animal health product, not only for treating disease, but also for enhancing growth promotion in animals. Antibiotics can promote growth by reducing disease or by increasing feed-utilization efficiency.
One disease which has a serious impact on the poultry industry is coccidiosis. Coccidiosis results from infection by one or more species of Eimeria or Isospora. Improved anticoccidial agents are in demand because of the continuing economic losses due to coccidiosis.
Promoting growth by increasing feed-utilization efficiency is another economically desirable objective of veterinary science. This type of growth promotion is particularly important for ruminants, such as cattle, and for monogastric animals such as poultry and swine.
One group of antibiotics which has been especially important in the animal health field are the polyether antibiotics. For example, the polyether monensin is a valuable commercial product; it is used both for treating coccidiosis in poultry and for increasing feed-utilization efficiency in animals.
Antibiotic A80789 ("A80789") is a member of the group of polyether antibiotics. Westley (John W. Westley, "Polyether Antibiotics: Naturally Occurring Acid Ionophores, Vol. 1, Biology," Marcel Dekker: New York, 1982) has separated existing polyethers by class and type. Using Westley's system, A80789 is a member of the Class 1b, type (1), group of polyethers because it has one spiroketal system. Other members of this group include A80190 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,822); A-28695 A and B (U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,558); A204 I and II (U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,238); A-32887 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,876); carriomycin; etheromycin; CP-47,434; RP37454 and the X-14868 antibiotics.